THE NIGHT CREW
“The Night Crew” was originally published by Every Day Fiction
In this story a man is attempting to rise out of his deepening sense of alienation from the world when he finds a baby abandoned on the frozen food aisle in a supermarket shopping cart.
Read and Excerpt from “The Night Crew”:
I moved on. The frozen aisle was empty of pallets and workers. Halfway down the aisle, there was a shopping cart with a baby’s car seat wedged on top. It rustled and gurgled. Two tiny feet kicked rhythmically into the air.
I picked out my frozen waffles. I picked up a couple of pizzas. Nobody came for the kid. I waited. Still nobody came.
I said, “Did somebody forget their baby?”
I said, “Hey, whose baby is this, man?”
Nobody answered.
I called out, “Hello.” I walked to the cereal aisle. The two workers weren’t there anymore. I headed to the back of the store where they sell meat and dairy, and walked to the next aisle over. No one was there either. The baby started crying.
I went back to the frozen section. The little booger’s blankies were on the floor and I guess the baby was freezing his fanny off. I got the kid tucked back in and pushed the cart to the front of the store.
Nobody around.
Carl Robinette 